Patterns, "Spades," Wading Through Grass (Self-released)

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Whether it's advertising axioms (Got Milk?), lyrics by Rupert Holmes (Got Pina Coladas?), or gum to the bottom of your shoes at the Hawthorne Theatre (Got Peanut Butter?), some things just stick well. Musical friendships are no exception: Take Ricci Swift and "Shoki" of Portland's Patterns, friends who forged a musical connection in high school only to put their aspirations on hiatus for several years due to, well, life. With several line-up shifts and name changes (Oui, to The Swift Fox Guild, to the Dixon Swift Fox—at least that's what we make of the group's really, really confusing bio) it seems that inconsistency was once a pattern for Patterns. Let's hope the current lineup sticks together and continues to put forth collected, mature indie pop.

"Spades" has got nearly every component that a tight pop song requires: Its tactfully muffled guitar layers resist indie-pop homogeneity, while its gorgeously minimalistic keys keep it accessible. Add on Ricci Swift's anglo-tinged vocals, and pleasantly unpredictable chord changes, and you've got something of an instant classic: Like Steve Kilbey of the Church backed by Stereolab.